Social media as public disclosure tool. Shel Holz has an interview on his For Immediate Release podcast with Robert French of Auburn University, who explains there are 30,000 public disclosure laws describing situations when a press release must be issued by a company. Now, if you take that requirement and combine it with a strategic approach to informing your influencers, so that they spread the word about news you release, there's a way to lower compliance costs and increase awareness in the market.

Social networking the 2008 election. Marhall over at WebMetricsGuru likes the Obama social networking approach, but reminds that "Remember - this stuff only works if the Candidate really believes in it and shows it." My analysis of the the 2004 elections, which contributed greatly to what BuzzLogic has built, and of other events, such as the Dell Hell movement, is that these networks only gain momentum when different constituencies are merged through a single candidate or issue. The real caveat, I think, is "These thinks only work if the members can find others who believe in something more than the candidate or subject of the social network."